Today we found out that our application to the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund has been successful and we are one of 1,385 cultural and creative organisations across the country receiving urgently needed support to help face the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.
We have been awarded just under £150,000, as part of £257 million of investment announced today in the very first round of the Culture Recovery Fund grants programme being administered by Arts Council England. Further rounds of funding in the cultural and heritage sector are due to be announced over the coming weeks.
This funding comes as a welcome relief. As a Carnival arts organisation that spends much of our year outdoors, performing at large-scale events and leading workshops in educational settings, the majority of our earned income in 2020 has been lost due to the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent restriction measures.
Funding from the Culture Recovery Fund will contribute towards our core costs and help to secure our post COVID-19 future so we can continue delivering our ambitious vision of high quality Carnival arts with young people, artists, communities and other organisations.
‘With the vast majority of our 2020 bookings cancelled, and as lockdown measures persist well into 2021,’ our CEO, Leon Patel, said, ‘funding from the Culture Recovery Fund comes at a crucial time for our young, ambitious company. This award will enable us to continue finding new ways to produce our work and support our artists to make transformative impacts in our communities.’